Actor and comedian Kate McKinnon will host the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on November 20, and composer and activist Jon Batiste will perform live as well. McKinnon says in the announcement, “I’ve been an invested reader my whole life and am so honored to be part of this event that celebrates the life-changing power of books while recognizing some of today’s most brilliant storytellers.” Batiste says: “Books are sacred sources of refuge, insight and humanity, shaping the world as we know it. am excited to take part in recognizing world class artistry, creativity and the power of […]
Kindle Adds Color Device In “Entirely New Lineup”
Amazon finally announced a color ereader, Kindle Colorsoft, priced at $279.99, releasing October 30. They are also revamping the rest of the Kindle device line, with their “thinnest and fastest ever” Kindle Paperwhite, and an entry-level Kindle “in a fun new Matcha color.” In the announcement, vp of Amazon Devices Kevin Keith notes, “[ebook] sales last year hit a decade high with the majority of purchases going to first time Kindle device owners.” He added, “We are excited to bring our customers a completely new Kindle lineup, including our first color Kindle and a re-imagined Kindle Scribe with even better in-book […]
Record Fall/Frankfurt Adult Deals Follow Big Third Quarter
Yes, your fall and pre-Frankfurt deal submissions really have been even more overwhelming than usual this year. As we noted yesterday, US publishers were strong buyers in the third quarter of the year and that continued in October, as we saw new records for overall deals during this key five-week-plus selling stretch, lifted by adult books in particular. (As a reminder, we measure the five weeks and a day leading up to the Wednesday opening of FBF. Usually that begins with Labor Day, though last year and this year Frankfurt is a week later than usual.) US deals were up […]
An Actual Taylor Swift Book Due November 29 As A Target Exclusive
What may be the biggest book of the year is coming exclusively from a big box retailer and does not appear to involve a traditional publisher: Taylor Swift will publish her first official book on November 29, TAYLOR SWIFT: The Eras Tour Book, being sold exclusively at Target “while supplies last.” The 256-page book, priced at $39.99, promises “over 500 images, including never-before-seen performance photos from every era as well as exclusive rehearsal photos and behind-the-scenes images of instruments, costumes, set pieces and designer sketches used throughout the tour.” It also includes “personal reflections and notes written by Taylor herself […]
Spotify Expands Audiobooks to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
At an event in Paris, Spotify announced an expansion of their audiobooks efforts, now providing premium subscribers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg with 12 hours of included free audiobook listening every month. Managing Director, Spotify Western Europe Antoine Monin says in the announcement, “Spotify’s reach presents a significant opportunity to expand the audiobooks market across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.” He indicates they have added 15,000 French and 15,000 Dutch and Flemish titles to their catalog. Spotify launched their offering of free audiobook listening a year ago, and they say in the release, “While it’s still early […]
Third Quarter Deals Set More New Records
Tomorrow we’ll provide the full report on deal activity in the fall/pre-Frankfurt sales period — Spoiler Alert: It has been a record season. But first we need to catch up on deal trends for the third quarter, which has also set multiple records. The visualizations below will make it more obvious than usual, but: – Overall deals reached a new high for the period, up 8.7 percent over last year – Nonfiction deals recovered, reaching a new high for the period, up 22.5 percent over last year – Fiction deals continued their growth and accelerated, reaching a new high again, […]